Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Less is better

So some of my friends have asked me, "As a sahm, what do you do all day?" And, frankly, I don't really know how to answer it, because we do whatever it is that we wanna do. Just like some of you have "lazy days" where you go into work and don't do much but surf the internet and Facebook all day long (I won't name any names to protect the guilty), we have lazy days where we just lay on the couch in our pj's and watch TV for a majority of the day. Those are my "I'm not gonna do anything and don't care if nothin' gets done" days. Those are pretty awesome. Speaking of lazy days, check out my OOTD.

Complete with fuzzy slippers and everything. It's been kinda chilly at nights and early mornings lately. Attractive, huh? Kekeke. :)

And then there are days where I just HAVE to get things checked off my To Do list. Sometimes it's because we have company coming over, and sometimes it's for the simple reason that I just cannot stand the chaos any longer. I literally feel like my brain is spinning around in circles inside my skull. Do you know the feeling? On these days, I think it's hilarious when my son asks, "Mommy, why are you cleaning? Are we having guests?" Apparently, he has associated cleaning with only when we're having guests. Oops...I guess I should make it a point to clean for no reason more often. Haha.

I have learned over the years, though, that simplicity is key. As a young wife and mom, I had aspirations of being a stay home mom, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, home schooling, making them all natural foods, having a spotless house, and being "those" moms that everyone thinks, "How does she do it?" But I learned real quick that I cannot handle that stress or pressure, nor can my husband handle me when I'm stressed. Haha. One of my biggest flaws is taking on more than I can handle with intentions of being the best. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? "Taking on more than I can handle with intentions of being the best." There is no way in the world I can be the best at anything if I take on more than I can handle. My husband has always been the first to remind me about the important things - making sure that I remain close to my Lord, our marriage is happy and healthy, and that our kids are happy and healthy - NOT having a super clean house, or the smartest kids, or the healthiest meals, or (fill in the blank with anything else that you dream of happening in a perfect world.)

Sometimes, less is better.

My son goes to public school, sometimes he eats school lunch and sometimes I pack his lunch - but he has made some great friends, grown socially, I have some time to devote to Symphony and myself, he's doing well in his studies, and he actually likes the school nachos. Haha.

I did not breastfeed either of my kids for longer than a couple months because of difficulties, but they've always grown like crazy, they're healthy, and my bond with them is just as close as any breastfeeding mom and baby.

I NEVER even got to cloth diapering. Lol. Those first few months are crazy enough!

As far as healthy meals go, we are getting better. Not because we're "supposed" to, but because we want to. Although, we still eat our fair share of bacon and white rice. Haha.

God has taught me so much about myself and life through being a wife for 10+ years and a mom for 8+ years. I trust that He will continue to teach me and grow me, but the life long lesson that I will carry with me is that the things that matter the most are really the only things that matter.

Have a blessed Wednesday!!

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope..." Psalm 130:5


1 comment:

  1. I loved being a stay at home mom with my first child. I quit my job but I had to go back to work to make ends meet. Second child I stayed home a few months and was in between jobs. Third and fourth I went back to work in a week. It's ok because there are benefits to both. I'd say that the greatest thing about staying home is that you are present for your children and they need that from you as a parent. Working mothers - lots of benefits to that too. You learn how to become a well-oiled machine and there are few things you can't handle.

    In either case, it's ALWAYS important to remember who YOU are. I find that it's helpful not to define myself as a mother or a wife or a daughter or a worker...but just let myself be me. If anything, I say I am a very good mother or a very good worker. Through the years, there have been times when I didn't know what kind of ice-cream I really did like because I usually buy the stuff my kids like, or what dish I like most at the restaurant because I just get something my husband likes or something the kids will eat. This realization that you have to be true to yourself and remember yourself in this equation called LIFE, comes back as slowly as it seeped away....you didn't lose your preferences in one day. So give yourself a break and remind yourself, when you get that quiet moment or when I feel like all others have forgotten, that yes, I love ROCKY ROAD ice-cream! And gosh darn it, Kids, turn off your shows - I am watching Entertainment Tonight because I gotta catch up on my celebrity news.

    Internal mantra to myself, "No one is perfect! And it's ok." This helps alot as a mom and a wife and a daughter to say again and again - never be sorry for who you are inside and what you can't and can't give and give and give to all those around you. And, let not your title or your job or your 'whatever' define the true you. Cheers to YOU! And cheers to us good mothers wives and daughters!

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